December 8, 2015
Below are two great resources for teachers professional development. Both of these platforms have been featured in separate posts in the past. Teachers can use them to access a wide variety of professional development resources including: tips on how to better integrate technology in your instruction, lesson plans ideas, webinars, training events and many more.

Microsoft Educator Community is a new platform from Microsoft created specifically to help teachers and educators collaborate with each other, grow professionally and make a better use of technology in their teaching. Some of the things provided by Microsoft Educator Community include:

Lesson PlansThe site offers a wide variety of lesson plans created by educators and experts from all around the world. Browse through the collections there or upload yours to share with others.

Connect with other educatorsYou can connect with other teachers and classrooms from all around the globe and play Mystery Skype, take a virtual field trip and join discussions.

Share your expertiseMicrosoft Educator Community offers you many ways to share your unique point of view. You can become a guest speaker, host virtual field trips, create lessons, become a trainer, start and join discussions and even become a Microsoft Innovative Educator.

Training Centre is a platform designed by Google for Education to provide classroom teachers and educators with free online training to help them better use Google tools in their instruction. It offers training lessons, educator-created materials and several other resources designed specifically for classrooms use. The section on Training and Courses features a number of key courses for teachers, IT administrators and trainers. These courses are divided into four main sections:

1- The Fundamentals Training: this is very helpful for teachers new to Google tools.

2- Advanced Training: this one provides advanced tips and ideas on how to make the best of Google tools in your instruction.

3-Devices Training: This collection of courses provide training help for integrating Chromebooks and Android tablets in your classroom